When it comes to the Internet, there is power behind numbers. The easier it is for people to find your website via search engines, the larger your audience. An effective way to establish your authority on the Internet is getting educational websites — websites that end with .edu — to link back to your own site. Having a connection to these websites is helpful because search engines find .edu websites to be more trustworthy and reliable.

However, getting educational sites to backlink to your website can be tricky and requires a bit of work to be successful. But if you put in the extra effort, you can gain your website additional credibility and a better shot at reaching a wider audience.

Find .Edu Blogs

Most universities publish blog posts concerning various aspects of their communities. There’s usually at least one official blog run by the university’s public affair’s office, as well as numerous student-run blogs that have the .edu link. Try to comment on the official blogs, since those are the ones run by the university officials. When you create your reply, you’ll have an option to add a link to your webpage with your name. If your comment gets published, anyone who sees it will be able to click your name and get directed to your website.

If you want to take this further, you can feature .edu blogs on your own website. People like being acknowledged for their work. There are numerous ways for you to do this — compile a list of the best scientific blogs, link to posts that features content similar to your own, highlight strong arguments made by a university employee and more. Make sure you alert the schools when you recognize their websites. There’s a good chance that by linking to them, they will link back to your website.

Reach Out to Your Alma Mater

You can use your status as an alumnus to your advantage. Most universities will leap at the chance to find out what their alumni are doing, and most have publications specifically for sharing these stories. Reach out to your alumni organization, and get someone to write a blurb about you.

You can also reach out to your alma mater’s newspaper and provide the opportunity for an interview. Another way you can reach out to your school is to give a speech or a Q&A session for current students. Student-run event planning clubs are always on the lookout for speakers. The best part is once you have the speech set up, the school will take care of the publicity — at least, on the campus.

Donate to Scholarships

Universities love people who donate to scholarship funds. Giving money to scholarships is a great way to get your name on .edu websites. Schools will recognize donors at scholarship functions — just keep in mind that they place the spotlight on those who donate large sums of money.

If you can, set up your own scholarship fund. Reach out to schools in your local area first. For example, if you’re located in Georgia, create a scholarship fund for Atlanta schools. If you prefer, you can create a scholarship for your alma mater. Once you have your scholarship set up, make sure to keep in touch with the school — that way, they’ll be more likely to feature you and your website.

Getting .edu sites to link to your website may require spending a decent amount of time or money. When you make this investment, you’ll have an edge on SEO while getting more traffic for your website.

Katie Elizabeth is a content coordinator and freelance blogger covering many topics including technology, blogging, WebpageFX SEO, career development, music, nonprofits and more. She focuses in many industries, like real estate, energy, used cat skidders and variable depth pools. She's also a communications grad student. When she's not writing, you can find her at a concert or playing with her new dog.